Friday, May 1, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
62 civilians killed, SLA, SLAF step up attacks on safety zone
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Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up shelling on all areas within the so-called safety zone from 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, killing 62 civilians and causing injuires to many. Artillery and mortar shells hit the safety zone killing 27 civilians during the night. Artillery-fitted cluster munitions exploded between Valaignarmadam and Ampalavanpokka'nai causing heavy casualties. The SLA deployed RPG shells, short range mortars and long distance gunfire on the safety zone during the daytime on Tuesday in addition to 12 air strikes in the settlements surrounding the Pachchaip-pulmoaddai junction within the safety zone. More than 70 bombs were dropped by the SLAF bombers that flew at low altitude killing at least 17 civilians.
The shelling targeted Pokka'nai, Ampalavanpokka'nai, Mu'l'livaaykkaal, Maaththa'lan and Valaignarmadam.
More than 250 wounded civilians have been admitted to the makeshift hospital at Puthumaaththa'lan within the last 3 days, according to medical sources. 21 of the patients died at the hospital.
The ICRC ship to transport patients would not be coming before Thursday, according to the medical staff at the hospital. At least 200 patients were in need of immediate transfer to Trincomalee.
Drugs brought to the hospital in ICRC ship on Sunday would only last for 7 to 10 days, the medical staff said. The hospital authorities have urged more medicines to be sent to the hospital.
SLA gunfire and RPG shells hit the area near the hospital. Shells also exploded in the area. An RPG shell that hit a mother of five children didn't explode, but caused serious injuries to her.
Two children died due to diaarhoea on Monday and another child on Tuesday.
Some vaccines have been brought to the hospital and immunisation programme was going on, according to the officials of the Regional Director of Health Services of the two districts.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Transport of goods through A9 route to Jaffna risky
Commissioner General of Essential Services, S. B. Divaratne, informed Jaffna Government Agent (GA) and the representatives of the Traders’ Union in Jaffna that goods will not be transported through A9 route and that the ship services involved in this task would continue uninterrupted, sources in Jaffna said. This ruling comes as the government is working hard on plans to bring goods in 19 lorries by private traders next week, the sources added.
Goods were brought to Jaffna peninsula in 22 lorries along A9 land route with much difficulty on 11 March and local agricultural and fish products were taken to Colombo after a few days in 9 lorries.
The government had made much publicity of this as an accomplishment but transport through A9 route had not continued as it was insecure and risky.
Defence Ministry sources in Jaffna and representatives of the Traders’ Union say that transport of goods through A9 route is not immediately possible.
Efforts are being made by the government to transport goods through A9 route to Jaffna by traders registered with the Commissioner of Essential Services to bring relief food and building materials including cement in 19 lorries.
But the Commissioner of Essential Services has informed that the above mentioned goods will only be taken in ships to Jaffna.
Goods were brought to Jaffna peninsula in 22 lorries along A9 land route with much difficulty on 11 March and local agricultural and fish products were taken to Colombo after a few days in 9 lorries.
The government had made much publicity of this as an accomplishment but transport through A9 route had not continued as it was insecure and risky.
Defence Ministry sources in Jaffna and representatives of the Traders’ Union say that transport of goods through A9 route is not immediately possible.
Efforts are being made by the government to transport goods through A9 route to Jaffna by traders registered with the Commissioner of Essential Services to bring relief food and building materials including cement in 19 lorries.
But the Commissioner of Essential Services has informed that the above mentioned goods will only be taken in ships to Jaffna.
Artillery pounds wounded Tamils trapped on beach
A THOUSAND amputees were among the wounded and dying waiting to be rescued from a beach in northeast Sri Lanka yesterday, according to aid agencies.
Frightened Tamil families, the latest victims of the country’s 26-year civil war, were hiding in makeshift trenches as they came under artillery fire while waiting to be evacuated from Puthumathalan beach.
Last week the International Committee of the Red Cross removed 460 injured and their families from the area, using local fishermen to carry the wounded on wooden dinghies to the Green Ocean ferry leased for the operation. The ferry was due to return last night to rescue more of the injured.
Sophie Romanens, a Red Cross representative in Sri Lanka, said the scene was desperate. “The capacity for evacuation is far below the need,” she said. “We have to decide to take the casualties who are more badly injured and leave behind the ones who are less badly injured.” They are among 150,000 civilians trapped in an area of 13 square miles after fleeing a government offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, known as the Tamil Tigers.
More than 300 civilians were being killed every week in artillery or air attacks, or were dying for lack of medical care, food or water, aid agencies said. The Tamils are desperate because the last hospital in the area was forced to close after twice being bombed by the Sri Lankan army.
The only medical treatment available is in a makeshift clinic at Puthumathalan, where the injured lie under tarpaulins with drips suspended from tree branches. The numbers trying to escape via the beach had “increased dramatically over the past week”, the Red Cross said.
The United Nations said 2,800 Tamils, mostly civilians, had been killed since the offensive began in January in the predominantly Tamil region of the island off the coast of India.
In an interview yesterday with The Sunday Times Balasingham Nadesan, the political leader of the Tamil Tigers, pleaded for an urgent ceasefire. He said the Tigers, classified as a terrorist organisation in Britain because of their use of suicide attacks, would enter negotiations with the government “without pre-conditions”.
The daily bombing and shelling was described by Nadesan as “geno-cidal warfare”. “We call for a ceasefire, loudly and clearly,” he said. “Continuous denial of humanitarian access to the civilian population, and non-stop artillery and aerial attacks, are creating an unbearable situation.”
He called for international monitors to see the situation, adding that the Tigers would respect the outcome of any referendum on an independent Tamil state as long as it was held “once people were allowed to return to their homes”.
Some civilians have managed to cross government lines to find safety at a hospital in the northern town of Vavuniya. The only foreign surgeon there, Hugues Roberts of Médecins Sans Frontières, said 960 casualties had been treated, most of them wounded by shells, landmines or gunshots. The victims ranged from a child of three to men and women in their seventies. “The ones dead, or gravely injured, we don’t see them,” said Roberts.
Joan Ryan, a Labour MP, said: “If the Sri Lankan government does not respond to this call for a ceasefire within 24 hours, Gordon Brown should call for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth.”
A Commons debate on Sri Lanka is scheduled for Tuesday.
Frightened Tamil families, the latest victims of the country’s 26-year civil war, were hiding in makeshift trenches as they came under artillery fire while waiting to be evacuated from Puthumathalan beach.
Last week the International Committee of the Red Cross removed 460 injured and their families from the area, using local fishermen to carry the wounded on wooden dinghies to the Green Ocean ferry leased for the operation. The ferry was due to return last night to rescue more of the injured.
Sophie Romanens, a Red Cross representative in Sri Lanka, said the scene was desperate. “The capacity for evacuation is far below the need,” she said. “We have to decide to take the casualties who are more badly injured and leave behind the ones who are less badly injured.” They are among 150,000 civilians trapped in an area of 13 square miles after fleeing a government offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, known as the Tamil Tigers.
More than 300 civilians were being killed every week in artillery or air attacks, or were dying for lack of medical care, food or water, aid agencies said. The Tamils are desperate because the last hospital in the area was forced to close after twice being bombed by the Sri Lankan army.
The only medical treatment available is in a makeshift clinic at Puthumathalan, where the injured lie under tarpaulins with drips suspended from tree branches. The numbers trying to escape via the beach had “increased dramatically over the past week”, the Red Cross said.
The United Nations said 2,800 Tamils, mostly civilians, had been killed since the offensive began in January in the predominantly Tamil region of the island off the coast of India.
In an interview yesterday with The Sunday Times Balasingham Nadesan, the political leader of the Tamil Tigers, pleaded for an urgent ceasefire. He said the Tigers, classified as a terrorist organisation in Britain because of their use of suicide attacks, would enter negotiations with the government “without pre-conditions”.
The daily bombing and shelling was described by Nadesan as “geno-cidal warfare”. “We call for a ceasefire, loudly and clearly,” he said. “Continuous denial of humanitarian access to the civilian population, and non-stop artillery and aerial attacks, are creating an unbearable situation.”
He called for international monitors to see the situation, adding that the Tigers would respect the outcome of any referendum on an independent Tamil state as long as it was held “once people were allowed to return to their homes”.
Some civilians have managed to cross government lines to find safety at a hospital in the northern town of Vavuniya. The only foreign surgeon there, Hugues Roberts of Médecins Sans Frontières, said 960 casualties had been treated, most of them wounded by shells, landmines or gunshots. The victims ranged from a child of three to men and women in their seventies. “The ones dead, or gravely injured, we don’t see them,” said Roberts.
Joan Ryan, a Labour MP, said: “If the Sri Lankan government does not respond to this call for a ceasefire within 24 hours, Gordon Brown should call for the suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth.”
A Commons debate on Sri Lanka is scheduled for Tuesday.
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